The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday sought a High Court-monitored probe into the alleged assassination bid on party president Sukhbir Badal in Naded.Terming the incident a “cowardly act”, the party alleged that it was part of a larger conspiracy.Seeking an HC-monitored probe, senior leaders Balwinder Singh Bhundar, Daljit Singh Cheema and Arshdeep Singh Kler argued that whenever SAD gained political momentum, “inimical forces indulged in dastardly attacks to make the Panth leaderless”.Recalling a previous attack on Badal at the Golden Temple, they insisted that impartial investigation into both incidents was essential. “Had that incident been probed impartially, today’s incident could have been averted,” they said.Cheema accused AAP and the Congress of politicising the attack by linking it to the 2015 sacrilege incidents and the Behbal Kalan firing.He criticised “irresponsible tweets” by rival political parties alleging they stood with the aggressor rather than the victim. “We have always stood for peace and communal harmony and will continue to do so,” Cheema asserted.Meanwhile, leaders of the BJP, Congress and AAP described the assault as unacceptable.However, several leaders pointed to the resentment among sections of the Sikh community over the 2015 sacrilege incidents and subsequent police firing at Behbal Kalan, which had left two Sikhs dead.That pain, they argued, continues to shape Punjab’s political discourse.Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the incident was unfortunate and could not be justified in any way.‘Resentment against Badals’However, he said the incident also reflected the resentment among Sikh sections against the Badal family.Punjab AAP’s media in-charge Baltej Pannu said violence had no place at religious places. At the same time, he reminded the SAD of the “unresolved anguish” over the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in 2015, when the party was in power in the state.“This pain and resentment remains alive in the minds of Sikhs even today,” Pannu said, urging the Akali Dal to acknowledge the community’s sentiments.BJP seeks thorough probeThe BJP also condemned the incident. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon it as “deeply unfortunate and concerning”.He said political differences must never translate into violence, especially at religious sites that embodied peace and service.Party spokesperson RP Singh appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ensure a thorough probe, stressing that “peace, brotherhood, constitutional values and the rule of law must prevail”.Cannot justify violence: CongPunjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the Sikhs had genuine anger over the Behbal Kalan and Bargari cases.“But political anger cannot justify violence. The attack on Sukhbir Badal at Nanded Sahib is condemnable. Justice must come through accountability and democracy, not violence,” he said.But political anger cannot justify violence.